D&D General have we had a player race of undead?

[reelo]

What good is an "undead race" if you have to excise all the tropes that define undead, just to make them work mechanically as a PC race.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

What good is an "undead race" if you have to excise all the tropes that define undead, just to make them work mechanically as a PC race.

Because what else are cool edgelords going to play?

A more serious answer: D&D is moving in the direction of players choosing their species because of the theme, not because it gives them mechanical advantages.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Reborn too. Both count as humanoid, but they’re thematically undead

Reborn can be themed as undead, or constucts, or something else. It's up to the player to decide on their nature.

 

[Charlaquin]

Reborn can be themed as undead, or constucts, or something else. It's up to the player to decide on their nature.

Sure. Point being, they fit the bill for the most part.

 

[GreyLord]

Werewolves?

Would they count as undead?

Technically, one could make up their own race, say they get to add 2 points to one stat and 1 point to another and that's their race/species.

They wouldn't get grand additional powers and such (unless the DM granted it to them), and so would be slightly underpowered in relation to others, but I could see it as an easy thing to do overall if one really wanted to create some sort of undead race that births their own, but are undead still.

Perhaps things like ghosts but are able to have ghost children? Or things like that?

 

[Andvari]

Werewolves?

Would they count as undead?

Nah.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Werewolves?

There wolves =>

 

[Mecheon]

What good is an "undead race" if you have to excise all the tropes that define undead, just to make them work mechanically as a PC race.

Forsaken from WoW show its a very viable archetype. I'd also argue the number of various undead characters in pop culture like Sans or, well, to go with the Warcraft example, everyone's favourite banshee queen Sylvannas, have more pop-culture push than Mordenkainen these days

Werewolves?

Would they count as undead?

Nah, plus well served by shifters

 

[Mind of tempest]

@Mind of tempest, if you're open to homebrew options, I have created two "playable undead" races for 5e that I've elaborated on in other threads. They're the Vezyi and Fehntüm (zombie/wight/ghoul-people and specter/phantom people). They were created by Vecna, who uses them as "farms" for undead bodies and souls to use in his war against the Raven Queen and Shadar-Kai.

you got stats as they fell a bit off but could be a start?

 

[Tonguez]

. I'd also argue the number of various undead characters in pop culture like Sans

Sans? Who?